Pre-season games | Vital Football

Pre-season games

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And off we go again...

First up in Austria is BW Linz

Celtic XI: De Vries, Sviatchenkp, McCart, Miller, Brown, Armstrong, McGregor, Hayes, GMS, Griffiths

Subs: Subs: Jozo, Dedryk, Ralston, Kieran, Bitton, Sinclair, Forrest, Henderson, Aitchison, Rodgers, Hazard, Doohan

BR's bhoy on the bench, think he's trolling us :-) :emoticon:19
 
HT 0-0

Good 45 minute workout. Hayes looked very good on both wings ... great pace too. Griff lively as always but lacking service to him. Calvin Miller had an excellent 45. A few players running with the ball when they should be passing it.
 
10 changes for the 2nd half. Anton Rodgers playing in central midfield. Hazard in goal, KT captaining the side, Jozo, Anthony Ralston, Bitton, Aitchison, Forrest, Henderson and Sinclair.
 
I think we must have started our threads at the same time again! haha!

Interesting to see that McCart is the one player to stay on at HT although I heard them saying the plan was always to give Boyata just 30mins today.
 
Had to make dinner so I've missed most of the first half. Anything decent? I've read that the Linz players are not holding back and Griffiths and Hayes were in for some rough treatment and I've seen 3 players trying to tackle Sinclair already this half and get tight and rough on him too.
 
Goal! James Forrest. Good finish from the left hand side of the box. Ball was played in by Tierney, Forrest controlled it with his first touch and volleyed it towards goal and the keeper was beaten.
 
I thought everyone played pretty well. Hopeful for Calvin Miller and Anthony Ralston. Ralston in particular looks like he will eventually be our top RB once Lustig is done. Miller could do with a loan spell at a good Championship club or even low Premiership team just to get him some more first team football at LB but he's always looked a very promising player. It's his attacking ability that makes him so good, needs to work on the defensive side. Need to be sure that wherever he goes on loan, if he goes, that he gets plenty of game time though! McCart also made a good claim to be given a look at in the future. I think we'll see him on loan again this season but that's not a bad thing. He did well at ICT despite their relegation and so another season with Kilmarnock, Hibs, Motherwell, Partick Thistle or someone like that would do him good!

I actually think that there are a few more young players away with the squad as well other than what was listed last night. Players who were on loan last season like Jamie Lindsay and Joe Thomson. Both had very good seasons in the Championship but I don't know if they're likely to get a look in under BR. Just a few photos and videos where you can't quite tell who players are but they look to me to be young players. There's also Aidan Nesbitt coming back from loan. Actually Jamie Lindsay may not be with the squad as his contract is expiring with us, unless BR has taken him to get a better look at him and then decide whether to give him a new contract or not. Then there is the likes of Michael Johnston that we saw last season and a few others from the development squad that were training with the first team as well.

Aitchison looks like he's not far off being our 3rd choice striker......I mean technically he is because we only have 2 first team strikers but he looks as though he's ready to be more involved with the first team and come off the bench. However I'm sure BR will want another striker in to act as cover for Griffiths and Dembele.
 
Sorry I've been away, mates. I'll be on for the next friendly. The Linz match looked pretty good with young players getting a chance and taking it pretty nicely. In other news, Linfield made heavy work of their qualifier at home. It would be hilarious if they lose and don't even qualify.
 
Ralston's built like a brick shithouse, haha. Haven't seen enough of him to judge whether or not he has the pace that'll be required - he may well have.
Any info about the state of his rapidity ? <---- a word you don't hear everyday (and there's probably a very good reason for that!)

Miller impressed going forward but don't think our defence were particularly settled during the 1st half, which was only to be expected, so harsh to judge either McCart or Miller defensively.

Aye, know what you mean about there being more youngsters there, saw a few pics where I couldn't put names to the faces. Having said that I've not been keeping up with our youth development sides over the past few years.

Thank fuck you're here to keep me up to date :emoticon:16

I really want to see Ajer and the lesser spotted Eboue given a few run outs in midfield, although it seems both are/were currently injured. Some stories suggest BR sees Ajer as a CB. I think he uses binoculars to see Eboue (I'm here all week, folks)

...and with that he strode with nonchalant grace to the scouting and transfer thread

:emoticon:73
 
welch47 - 29/6/2017 14:26

Sorry I've been away, mates. I'll be on for the next friendly. The Linz match looked pretty good with young players getting a chance and taking it pretty nicely. In other news, Linfield made heavy work of their qualifier at home. It would be hilarious if they lose and don't even qualify.
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:emoticon:14 :emoticon:14 :emoticon:14 :emoticon:14 :emoticon:14 :emoticon:07

Think we all needed a wee break, David, especially with the close season being so fk'n short!

 
Good to have you back anyway welch!

Ralston is built like a brick shithouse you're right! But the one trait you're unsure of is actually one of his best. He's a quick bugger! He LOVES to get forward down the wing and at one point during the Linz match, he was very nearly on the end of a cross from the left which he started by cutting inside to CM and getting the ball out to the left. He just kept going into the box and got himself into a good position at the back post! Lol. Like Miller on the other side, it's his anticipation when defending that he probably needs to work on most. Getting beaten to the byline too easily is probably his biggest weakness. You'll get away with that against some teams but not against good players or good teams. Still given he's still only 18, things look bright for him! The big question for both of those lads is whether or not they would benefit from going out on loan or staying with the first team squad and playing with the development side.......they could both get a handful of appearances, maybe close to double figures this season if they stayed but would that be better than them going out and getting a full season with a first team? Given how young they are, I'd loan them for the season but to decent clubs where they will be pretty much guaranteed game time.

I agree about Ajer and Eboue. Haven't seen enough of them. Not sure where Ajer is going to play yet. BR wanted him as a CB initially and that's where he played all season for Kilmarnock last season and in general he coped pretty well. However when he was talking about the injuries to both players and that was the reason for bringing Anton Rodgers in, he talked about Ajer as being another CM who was injured. Maybe Rodgers felt that season at Kilmarnock playing at CB showed that it's maybe not his best position and that he would be better in midfield. Given his height and his good athleticism, he could be dangerous to opposing teams no matter what position he's playing in.
Eboue.....well it's anyone's guess what he's like. So far I've seen nothing to be excited about. I really hope that changes considering how much we forked out for him.
 
I just thought. I'm a little surprised that BR chose to use his son in the game against Linz. If we were struggling that much for midfielders, why wouldn't he use one of the young lads? Regardless of how ready he feels they are for the first team, surely it's better to give them a run out?
Joe Thomson could have played unless BR wants him gone and doesn't see him making the cut at Celtic but he's always been thought of very highly at Celtic and has been around the first team since Neil Lennon was in charge! He had a cracking first season of first team football last year in the Championship.....surely he's worth a look?
Then there's Regan Hendry and Mark Hill who have been running the show for our development squad in CM. Mark Hill is another player who is built like a brick shithouse so he wouldn't have an issue with the physical aspect of the move up. Hendry is a skillful and quick player, perhaps not an out and out CM but he could have still done a job. So there's three on our books who could benefited greatly from a 45 min run out with the first team but instead BR chose to use his son. Don't get me wrong, it's BR's choice who he plays and I can understand his son is probably a level above the lads I've mentioned and he needs to get fit for the new season as well, particularly as he's currently without a club......but these are the sorts of opportunities these young players need so that they can make it into our first team!
 
2nd pre-season match v Rapid Vienna

CELTIC (4-1-2-3) Gordon; Lustig, Sviatchenko, Boyata, Tierney; Brown, Armstrong, McGregor; Forrest, Griffiths, Sinclair.

Subs: Hazard, Ralston, Simunonvic, Izaguirre, Miller, Hayes, Bitton, Henderdson, Rogic, Mackay-Steven, Dembele, Aitchison, McCart, Doohan.


Still no Ajer or Eboue. We'll likely see a lot of changes throughout.
 
welch47 - 1/7/2017 16:40

This has been absolute crap so far. The entire team looks hung over. :emoticon:11
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:emoticon:14

Lethargic start from us. Fitness & sharpness need to improve & this game will help. I think we could've done with another game prior to this one. Settled into it more as the half progressed. DB with a suicide pass otherwise it would be 0-0 at half time.

Boyata has looked tranquillised!
 
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